Traditionally, living reptiles are divided into four orders.Crocodilian. Crocodiles, alligators and caimen.Testudines. Turtles and tortoises.Squamata. Snakes, lizards, and iguana.Sphenodones. The tuatara.

But it has become clear in recent years that birds are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs and should probably be a fifth order of reptiles, instead of a separate class of vertebrates, and they have traditionally been seen. In fact, the closest relatives of birds are the fierce dinosaur hunters like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor.

Next time you see a sparrow hopping, re-imagine it as a small version of Tyrannosaurus rex.

I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:

Spoiler:

1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.- Douglas Adams

Saying that birds are related to dinosaurs is like saying that apes are related to primates.

The avialae are the only surviving line of coelurosaurian theropods. The rest died out at the K-T boundary, along with a lot of other things, including most mammals. The other line of birdlike dinos, the enantiornitheans, (that little fledgling preserved in amber was one), died out around the same time, were in decline for a long time, and the most recent fossil is from 67 million years ago, so they may not have made it to the K-T.

. . . with the satisfied air of a man who thinks he has an idea of his own because he has commented on the idea of another . . . - Alexandre Dumas 'The Count of Monte Cristo"

There is no statement so absurd that it has not been uttered by some philosopher. - Cicero

Lance must be going thru his posting history and looking for dead horses. Where the branches break to form species is less debateable than when trunks separate to form Classes===========but its all definitional. Nothing changes by the label.

Real Name: bobbo the existential pragmatic evangelical anti-theist and Class Warrior.Asking: What is the most good for the most people?Sample Issue: Should the Feds provide all babies with free diapers?

Lance Kennedy wrote:This resulted from a discussion I had with a local friend. I did a little background reading and thought it was an interesting subject. If you disagree, just ignore the thread.

Lance must be ignoring your posting history to avoid the dead horses. Where the branches break to form species is less debateable than when trunks separate to form Classes===========but its all definitional. Nothing changes by the label.

Real Name: bobbo the existential pragmatic evangelical anti-theist and Class Warrior.Asking: What is the most good for the most people?Sample Issue: Should the Feds provide all babies with free diapers?

There are a couple of researchers, like Alan Feduccia and John Ruben, who still think modern birds descended directly from archosaurs rather than being descended from theropod dinosaurs. However, the scientific consensus remains that birds are, indeed, descended from theropod dinosaurs.

Just a side issue.......I've seen several pop culture articles on the notion that "all the information" is in the genes and this is "proven" by watching animals develop in utero. Upshot is: with certain genes turned on and off at different stages....it should be dead simple to breed a dinosaur chicken..... From time to time "birth defects" reveal this when chickens are born with tails or with teeth.

I'm sure someone would like a flock of dinosaur chickens?

Also....read the how and why chickens lay eggs every day. Fascinating observation and control of nature.

Real Name: bobbo the existential pragmatic evangelical anti-theist and Class Warrior.Asking: What is the most good for the most people?Sample Issue: Should the Feds provide all babies with free diapers?